Building Code Documents

Browse our collection building code documents, which provide guidance on the hazard-resistant provisions in the building codes for property owners, engineers, design professionals, building codes officials, and the general public.

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The International Building Code, International Exiting Building Code, International Residential Code and International Code Council 500 can be purchased at the International Code Council.

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The Structural Engineers Association of California has partnered with International Code Council to update its series of Structural/Seismic Design Manuals to the 2015 International Building Code. Each of the three volumes provides a step-by-step approach to applying the structural provisions of the 2015 International Building Code and referenced standards. These manuals can be purchased from the International Code Council.

The CodeMaster products provide designers with an easy-to-use desk reference that identifies the seismic provisions in the International Building Code as well as the seismic requirements of ASCE/SEI 7. The CodeMaster is a unique and useful laminated guide for designers to make sure that they incorporate the seismic-resistant provisions of these codes and standards.

Subjects addressed include determination of mapped spectral response accelerations; consideration of exceptions to the seismic code requirements; Seismic Design Category determination; consideration of plan and vertical structural irregularities; determination of seismic base shear, redundancy coefficient and seismic load effects; and compliance with drift control requirements. These guides can be purchased from S. K. Ghosh Associates.

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This document provides a readily understandable explanation of the intent and requirements of the seismic related building codes and standards that are based on the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures (FEMA P-750). Understanding the basis for the earthquake-resistant provisions contained in the building codes and standards is important to many people outside the technical design community. This publication explains the history and purpose of building regulations in the United States, including a summary of the seismic-resistant provisions found in the current building codes and standards. Among the topics addressed are the national seismic hazard maps developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); the seismic design maps incorporated in the building codes and standard, as well as an overview of the seismic design procedures contained in the building codes.

This illustrated guide presents background information on the principles of seismic resistance and how earthquake forces impact conventional residential construction and more detailed information on architectural considerations (site selection, foundations and foundation details, floors, shear walls, and roofs). Also included are discussions of masonry and stone elements, examples of typical floor plans for earthquake- resistant one- and two-story homes, excerpts of seismic requirements from building codes, and checklists for homebuilders.

The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) Provisions are a knowledge-based resource document intended to translate research results into engineering design practice. The NEHRP Provisions incorporate results and findings from recent research projects, problem-focused studies, and post-earthquake investigation reports conducted by various professional organizations, research institutes, universities, material industries, and the four NEHRP agencies. The 2009 edition (FEMA P-750) is the basis for changes to the seismic-resistant provisions found in ASCE/SEI 7-10 and the 2015 International Building Code and the 2015 NEHRP Provisions edition (FEMA P-1050) is the basis for changes to the seismic-resistant provisions found in ASCE/SEI 7-16 and the 2018 International Building Code.

This study develops methods for constructing multi-period response spectra (MPRS) at all periods and site classes of interest, assuming that only deterministic and probabilistic values of SS and S1, and approximated values of TL from ASCE 7-16, are available for the site of interest. A comparison between derived MPRS and calculated MPRS at sites in the conterminous United States was used to validate the proposed methods and models. With this validation, these method and models can be used to derive multi-period response spectra using only the three currently available ground motion parameters SS, S1, and TL for all non-conterminous United States regions of interest.